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My Plan for the Big 12

* I started writing this before the TCU news broke, but it fits with my original plan anyway.

Finally, after literally months of uncertainty, it looks like the Big 12 will move forward as a conference. Last night’s news that Texas was conceding the removal of all high school content from the Longhorn Network along with the revelation that Missouri does not have the support it needs to join the SEC gives new hope that the remaining nine members will stick together and move forward. Going forward, here is my plan for the new Big 16. No, not a typo, the Big 16. It is important to note, that I believe the SEC is after Florida State, and not WVU or Missouri. However, I will lay out both scenarios.

Missouri- the news that they were pining for an invite for the Big 10 but would settle for the SEC most likely has locked them back into the Big 12. Why? If you are the SEC, are you going to let a team in that you really only wanted to balance out Texas A&M when you know you are their second choice, and that they would jump at any chance to get into the BIG in the future? Of course not. You’re going to look at someone like West Virginia or Florida State. To each of those schools, the SEC is the ultimate dream, rather than a fall back choice like the SEC is to Mizzou. So, congrats Mizzou, once again, by running your mouth, you have locked yourself into the Big 12.

From here, the existing members will sign at least a six year grant of TV rights, which solidifies the conference for the near future.

Expansion

1. Phase 1- Get to 12

A) Add TCU. Let’s face it, a large part of Big 12 expansion is going to come from the Big East. And to do that cleanly, the Big 12 needs the Big East to crumble. The easiest way to do that is to grab TCU away from them before they even join. Maintaining BCS status without TCU will be virtually impossible for the Big East, even is all the remaining BE schools stayed.

B) Add BYU and Louisville. These two school pretty clearly offer the most to the Big 12. Both feel like natural fits. BYU bring national TV, and Louisville has a solid football program, along with a great basketball program which is extremely profitable.

2. Phase 2- The race to 16

A) If the SEC does not add West Virginia.

a. Add West Virginia, Cincinnati, and Memphis. This gives Louisville natural rivals, adds a ton of TV’s, and makes sense geographically. And, let’s not forget FedEx CEO Fred Smith’s promise of 10 million dollars a year for any BCS conference that adds Memphis. Memphis is another great TV market, and would be a great, drivable city to visit. I would lay some kind of demand out that Memphis improve academically. West Virginia and Cincy have solid basketball, BCS bowl games, and more TV. Not to mention, Morgantown might be the most insane game day environment in the country. Who doesn’t want that?

b. Add Air Force. Air Force bring great academics, national service academy following, and gives the Big 12 a renewed presence in Colorado. Plus, having a relationship with Air Force could be huge for Iowa State’s engineering department.

B) If the SEC does add West Virginia

a. Add Cincinnati, South Florida, and Central Florida. If you can’t bring in West Virginia, adding Memphis doesn’t make sense. Instead, the Big 12 would focus on getting into the Florida market for recruiting and TV sets. UCF and South Florida are both huge schools that over time would do that. Cincy gives Louisville a close travel partner, and another big TV market.

b. Add Air Force. Air Force bring great academics, national service academy following, and gives the Big 12 a renewed presence in Colorado. Plus, having a relationship with Air Force could be huge for Iowa State’s engineering department.

Organization-

From here the conference would be organized into 4 pods.

Midwestern-
Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
Missouri

Western-
Texas Tech
TCU
BYU
Air Force

Southern-
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma
Texas
Baylor

Eastern-
Louisville
Cincinnati
West Virginia
Memphis

OR

Eastern-
Louisville
Cincinnati
Central Florida
South Florida

You would think that this makes the Big 16 too spread out, but the pods make allot of sense geographically. From there, the scheduling is easy. For football, play everyone in your pod every year, and two of the 4 teams for each of the other 3 pods, for a total of 9 conference games a year. For basketball, play everyone in your pod twice, and the remaining schools once, for a total of 16 conference games.

So there you have it, huge TV market, some sense of geography, rivalries preserved, great cities to visit, and a chance at unity going forward.

Whatever happens, hopefully it happens soon, and hopefully we all work together to strengthen this conference both athletically and culturally.

Re: My Plan for the Big 12

If we had NM, Misery could have been team #17. They do not like respect anyway.

2024 Update: aTm has just petitioned the Big 16 for entance after a 40-82 record. Their banner year was 2021 when they went to to the Poulan Bowl in their backyard when the Big Ten Plus could not fill all the alloted slots. They lost to UNM by 42-38. The new AToM head coach Mark Farley says he is proud to take his cadets westward.

Re: My Plan for the Big 12

It's the best scenario for scheduling in a 16 team conference I've seen. I'm not sure about the school's identity, since supposedly the BigXII presidents/commissioners/athletic directors/expansion committee/whatever has put the kabosh to inviting BYU. Shortsighted imho, since we're inviting at least one other church related school already. But I like the plan.

Re: My Plan for the Big 12

Originally Posted by snowcraig2.0

You would think that this makes the Big 16 too spread out, but the pods make allot of sense geographically. From there, the scheduling is easy. For football, play everyone in your pod every year, and two of the 4 teams for each of the other 3 pods, for a total of 9 conference games a year. For basketball, play everyone in your pod twice, and the remaining schools once, for a total of 16 conference games.

So there you have it, huge TV market, some sense of geography, rivalries preserved, great cities to visit, and a chance at unity going forward.

Whatever happens, hopefully it happens soon, and hopefully we all work together to strengthen this conference both athletically and culturally.

Well thought out. The more regional pods make sense, but would be unfair many years. For example, the Western pod looks weaker in Basketball, thus an easier schedule, chance to have a better conference record. I guess it would get settled in the end with a conf. tournament so no big deal. Football, I don't know, maybe have the teams ranked, based on previous years record, then broken into pods based on that, for parity. Some one suggested something like this before.

Re: My Plan for the Big 12

16 team conference makes for interesting reading, but hopefully just fiction. I do appreciate the thought process though.

My hope is to get back to 12 teams, create as much stability and equity as possible, return to conference championship game. Add Louisville and, how about Missouri State? With Missouri State you get a 22,000 or so enrollment State school right in the middle of Big 12 region. Admittedly, very poor football team historically, but move up to D1, give them provision to build a new, larger football stadium, give them some time, they would get the fan following they don't have now in the MVC. Just a thought, pipe dream.

Re: My Plan for the Big 12

Originally Posted by t-noah

16 team conference makes for interesting reading, but hopefully just fiction. I do appreciate the thought process though.

My hope is to get back to 12 teams, create as much stability and equity as possible, return to conference championship game. Add Louisville and, how about Missouri State? With Missouri State you get a 22,000 or so enrollment State school right in the middle of Big 12 region. Admittedly, very poor football team historically, but move up to D1, give them provision to build a new, larger football stadium, give them some time, they would get the fan following they don't have now in the MVC. Just a thought, pipe dream.

Re: My Plan for the Big 12

Originally Posted by snowcraig2.0

* I started writing this before the TCU news broke, but it fits with my original plan anyway.

Finally, after literally months of uncertainty, it looks like the Big 12 will move forward as a conference. Last nightís news that Texas was conceding the removal of all high school content from the Longhorn Network along with the revelation that Missouri does not have the support it needs to join the SEC gives new hope that the remaining nine members will stick together and move forward. Going forward, here is my plan for the new Big 16. No, not a typo, the Big 16. It is important to note, that I believe the SEC is after Florida State, and not WVU or Missouri. However, I will lay out both scenarios.

Missouri- the news that they were pining for an invite for the Big 10 but would settle for the SEC most likely has locked them back into the Big 12. Why? If you are the SEC, are you going to let a team in that you really only wanted to balance out Texas A&M when you know you are their second choice, and that they would jump at any chance to get into the BIG in the future? Of course not. Youíre going to look at someone like West Virginia or Florida State. To each of those schools, the SEC is the ultimate dream, rather than a fall back choice like the SEC is to Mizzou. So, congrats Mizzou, once again, by running your mouth, you have locked yourself into the Big 12.

From here, the existing members will sign at least a six year grant of TV rights, which solidifies the conference for the near future.

Expansion

1. Phase 1- Get to 12

A) Add TCU. Letís face it, a large part of Big 12 expansion is going to come from the Big East. And to do that cleanly, the Big 12 needs the Big East to crumble. The easiest way to do that is to grab TCU away from them before they even join. Maintaining BCS status without TCU will be virtually impossible for the Big East, even is all the remaining BE schools stayed.

B) Add BYU and Louisville. These two school pretty clearly offer the most to the Big 12. Both feel like natural fits. BYU bring national TV, and Louisville has a solid football program, along with a great basketball program which is extremely profitable.

2. Phase 2- The race to 16

A) If the SEC does not add West Virginia.

a. Add West Virginia, Cincinnati, and Memphis. This gives Louisville natural rivals, adds a ton of TVís, and makes sense geographically. And, letís not forget FedEx CEO Fred Smithís promise of 10 million dollars a year for any BCS conference that adds Memphis. Memphis is another great TV market, and would be a great, drivable city to visit. I would lay some kind of demand out that Memphis improve academically. West Virginia and Cincy have solid basketball, BCS bowl games, and more TV. Not to mention, Morgantown might be the most insane game day environment in the country. Who doesnít want that?

b. Add Air Force. Air Force bring great academics, national service academy following, and gives the Big 12 a renewed presence in Colorado. Plus, having a relationship with Air Force could be huge for Iowa Stateís engineering department.

B) If the SEC does add West Virginia

a. Add Cincinnati, South Florida, and Central Florida. If you canít bring in West Virginia, adding Memphis doesnít make sense. Instead, the Big 12 would focus on getting into the Florida market for recruiting and TV sets. UCF and South Florida are both huge schools that over time would do that. Cincy gives Louisville a close travel partner, and another big TV market.

b. Add Air Force. Air Force bring great academics, national service academy following, and gives the Big 12 a renewed presence in Colorado. Plus, having a relationship with Air Force could be huge for Iowa Stateís engineering department.

Organization-

From here the conference would be organized into 4 pods.

Midwestern-
Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
Missouri

Western-
Texas Tech
TCU
BYU
Air Force

Southern-
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma
Texas
Baylor

Eastern-
Louisville
Cincinnati
West Virginia
Memphis

OR

Eastern-
Louisville
Cincinnati
Central Florida
South Florida

You would think that this makes the Big 16 too spread out, but the pods make allot of sense geographically. From there, the scheduling is easy. For football, play everyone in your pod every year, and two of the 4 teams for each of the other 3 pods, for a total of 9 conference games a year. For basketball, play everyone in your pod twice, and the remaining schools once, for a total of 16 conference games.

So there you have it, huge TV market, some sense of geography, rivalries preserved, great cities to visit, and a chance at unity going forward.

Whatever happens, hopefully it happens soon, and hopefully we all work together to strengthen this conference both athletically and culturally.

I thought your plan would at least involve picking them up from school.

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